Is this British raj: Nitish Kumar fumes over English signboard
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed his displeasure over the English signboard of a new digital library in Bihar's Banka district on Wednesday. He directed the signboard to be replaced with a Hindi one while stressing the importance of Hindi as a scheduled language. The row took place when Kumar was inspecting the digital library after inaugurating government projects, including a model hospital.
Why does this story matter?
This is not the first time the Janata Dal (United) chief has sparked controversy regarding the use of English, considered a colonial vestige by several quarters. The row also triggered speculations about Kumar, known for his political swerves, switching sides from the opposition alliance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), considered the strongest proponent of Hindi in the face of the linguistic divide across the country.
Here's video of Kumar reprimanding officials
Don't have problem with English: Kumar
Kumar rebuked the officials present, accusing them of belittling Hindi. He said Hindi is a part of tradition and must be respected. He further said that he doesn't have any problem with English, adding that he studied engineering in English. He said that he quit using English since he was a Union cabinet minister. Notably, Kumar is a mechanical engineering graduate from Patna and was a Union minister in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
RJD ministers missing during Kumar's surprise visit to secretariat
Kumar also paid a surprise visit to the secretariat earlier in the day amid speculations that he may once again switch alliance and side with the BJP. Once there, he found out that the majority of JD(U) ministers had come on time. However, ministers from his alliance party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), were not present in their offices. The BJP, on their part, has said that Kumar will not be welcomed back even if he begs for realignment.
Smartphones distancing people from Hindi: Kumar
In February, Kumar made news for taking a dig at a farmer for using too many English phrases while delivering a speech at an event related to agriculture. The speaker, Amit Kumar, holds a management degree from Pune. However, he quit a promising future to start mushroom farming at his native place in Bihar. Kumar said the growing influence of smartphones, especially during COVID-19, distanced people from their language.
